Testimonials

Jerry and Mary Jayne Maly – New Mexico

August 26, 2024

My wife (MJ) and I just completed a 7 day, 6 night safari experience with Stephen Baan of SB Hunting Safaris Ltd. My goal was a Cape Buffalo hunt with some plains game, as the opportunity presented itself, thrown in. I elected to write this review because I think that Stephen deserves it and hope it may assist other potential adventure seekers in making their decision on who to use as an Outfitter and PH for their African safari adventure. As all hunters know, hunting is not just about the taking of game. Rather, it is about “the overall experience”. From this perspective we cannot compliment Stephen enough on the overall experience that he, his PH’s, and his entire staff provided. From the moment we booked the hunt, Stephen was there to assist us in every way possible, for anything that we  needed and to answer any questions that we may have had. My wife and I, as well as the two other couples that we were there with on safari, cannot speak highly enough about the overall experience that we were provided by this group of kind professionals; it was truly the experience of a lifetime for us all.

In addition to all the assistance that Stephen provided for in-country travel and accommodations, we were met at the lodge by a staff that never quit smiling the entire time that we were there. For folks coming from half-way around the planet, I cannot place enough emphasis on the truly welcome feeling that we felt during the entire trip. This started from the moment we first saw his staff early in the morning, and never ended until we left the lodge to go to bed at night. Their smiling faces and genuine desire to please us were amazing. It became immediately obvious that their jobs were to accommodate us in every way possible; the  result of all their efforts were truly exemplary.  The accommodations were very comfortable and the food quality, presentation,  delivery and local companionship were second to none. Anytime we needed anything from any of Stephen’s staff, all we had to do was ask and it would show up in very short order.

Because I was the only one in our group to book a 7 day Buffalo hunt, I had the privilege and honor of being able to have Stephen as my PH and companion almost for the entire duration of our stay. I have known and used  guides and Outfitters in the past, but never have I run into a PH with Stephen’s amazing skill sets. His uncanny ability to assess whether there is a quality trophy in a running herd of animals, through the veld, is an unbelievable experience that has to be seen to fully appreciate.  And that all happens before he raises his binocs. 

My wife had never hunted anything larger than a dove before and she was uncomfortable and unsure if she wanted to hunt in Africa. Yet, under Stephen’s patient and thorough guidance, he talked her through everything she needed to know to get comfortable with the hunting experience. She went on to take two beautiful trophies of her own, hunting with Stephen. As I told Stephen, he accomplished with her in one day, what I have been unable to accomplish during 30 years of marriage, that is, in getting her comfortable enough to want to actually ”try” the big game hunting experience. Now she wants to do more big game hunting and hence, needs her own rifle (of course). Most importantly, we both have a new recreational activity that we can enjoy, together, closer to home.

In closing, I just wanted to add that the overall quantity, quality and variety of game which we saw, and had the opportunity to take if we wished, was truly amazing. I went with the intent and hopes  of taking only a few species, but with Stephen’s expert guidance, ended up taking far more trophies (and I mean trophies), than I had ever dreamed of. Importantly, we feel that when traveling anywhere, there are few things more memorable and heartfelt than to arrive somewhere as guests, but to leave as friends. But that is what happened on our trip to South Africa and our safari experience with Stephen Baan.

If you are evaluating different Outfitters, PH’s and locations before you book your trip of a lifetime,  I can tell you that you cannot go wrong choosing Stephen Baan and SB Hunting Safaris.

Steven Quisenberry and Jaime Brennan

November 14, 2023

To whom it may concern;

I wanted to send your organization a note about my recent hunting trip to S.A..

My wife and I hunted in S.A. from November 5th until November 12th. Your organization, especially Lynette, was incredible with organizing the logistics of travel for both me and my wife who actually arrived in Johannesburg a day earlier than I did.

As far as the hunt itself, let me say that Stephen Bann of SB Safaris went above and beyond in every category. Jaime and I have hunted all over the world and Stephen Bann was the best PH/outfitter we have ever encountered. His assistance in the travel arrangements which included constant calls and messaging to make sure both myself and my wife (who was traveling alone) were safe gave us a great sense of security on our first trip to SA. Additionally, Stephan’s knowledge of the S.A. game and environment were incredible. His concessions are amazing and the wildlife (which was new to us) was plentiful with a great amount of variety. His patience with us hunting in true S.A. style for the first time made the trip very enjoyable and took a lot of stress off of us both, especially my wife who harvested four animals herself. It’s not hard to tell that Stephen is the ultimate professional and we can honestly say that Stephen personally made the trip better than we ever imagined it would be.

We will return to hunting S.A. in the near future and you can count on our PH being Stephen Bann.

Mark and Amanda Niswonger

To Whom it may Concern,

My wife, Amanda, and I recently won an auction hunt through the Dallas Safari Club (San Antonio chapter) to South Africa. Specifically, the Kalahari region. It was our first trip to South Africa, and we had heard so many wonderful things about hunting in Africa. But we also had heard many horror stories as well. When we won this trip, we knew that we were at the mercy of whatever outfitter had donated the trip and could only hope that our outfitter was a good one.

We immediately reached out to Stephen Bann, owner of SB Hunting Safaris, and we were relieved instantly. From the first call with Stephen, we were put at ease, and it only got better as the trip approached. Stephen took care of all the details. He booked our air travel in Africa, our overnight accommodations in Johannesburg which were amazing, what kind of food and beverage we enjoyed, and anything we needed while we were in the country. We had no concerns about our travel whatsoever. It was all handled and all we had to do was show up.

Stephen had people waiting at the Airport for us and they were instructed to call him as soon as they had us in their presence so that he was sure we were safe and taken care of. Traveling to a foreign country can be very concerning and confusing, but not with Stephen Bann. He knows how to handle his business and is willing to go the extra mile for every client to have the best experience while they are there.

When we arrived at his concession, the entire staff was present for us to meet and greet. It was so welcoming that we knew right away that we were all friends from the start. This may seem like a small or unnecessary gesture, but we enjoyed it, and it was comforting to know that we were welcomed by everyone.

When the hunt began, Stephen’s true passion and dedication became immediately obvious to us. I am a lifelong hunter and his attention to every detail of each animal was amazing and I was confident that any animal that he pointed out for harvest was going to be the best available and it was! Every animal that Stephan selected for us was a “Gold” level (After Measurement) trophy that we will treasure for a lifetime. There were other animals available at every turn, but Stephan was determined to get us the absolute best possible trophy on his concession. I found myself amazed at his ability to look at a herd and instantly decide if there was a trophy present. Stephan would not settle for a smaller trophy and dedicated every moment of the hunt to complete client satisfaction.

After each harvest (10 for us), his attention to detail took over again and we have the most absolutely perfect pictures of every animal harvested. It was like art to Stephen and there were times that a blade of grass had to be removed before he would allow the pictures to be taken. We were so amazed at his eye for detail and his talent to get the pictures just perfect. At first, I did not see the need for this perfection, but now that we are home trying to share our trip and show the pictures, we are so thankful for Stephen’s attention to every detail.

All our hunts were “Spot and Stalk” shooting from sticks. It was amazing to watch Stephen as we stalked our prey. He seemed to know exactly where they were going, what their reaction was going to be, and put us in front of a trophy every time. He took the time to explain the hunt that we were about to embark on so that there were no questions left unanswered. If during the hunt something changed Stephen just rolled with it and continued until we were successful.

We wanted for nothing the entire trip! Everything was provided for us, and it was a “first class” experience. The accommodations were excellent, the staff were polite and pleasant, the food was incredible, and the company of Stephen and others at the lodge were amazing! The entire experience was so incredible that we are already working on another hunt with Stephen and SB Hunting Safaris. Amanda and I have also promoted Stephen to several of our friends who are currently working on booking with SB Hunting Safaris because of our perfect experience.

There are so many outfitters to choose for an African hunt, why would I recommend SB Outfitters? In short, because Stephen is passionate about his business and cares about your entire experience in Africa from landing to take off. Not a single detail slipped by him. He was a complete professional on the hunt and a comfortable friend during the non-hunting times. Stephen genuinely cares about his clients and even called us making sure that we made it home safely.

What more could you ask for from your outfitter, and when you find that why would you go anywhere else and take a chance. We have heard so many horror stories about outfitters that just want your money and do not care if you harvest a trophy and won’t take the time to sort one for you. We can tell anyone with total honesty that you will not find a better outfitter, there may be a few that are equal but finding one better won’t happen.

On a personal note, we want to thank Stephen and SB Hunting Safaris for the experience of a lifetime! Harvesting the trophies was only half of the trip experience and Stephen’s comradery was the other half. Both were perfect for Amanda and me.

SB Hunting Safaris Fans and Friends for Life!!

CHRIS TREW

I have just finished a 15 day Safari with Stephen Bann of SB Safaris in Zimbabwe-and I would like to inform you that I have had a wonderful experience with him. He is a true professional and very dedicated to the hunting industry. I would like to say that I have experienced a lot of hunting in Africa, and he is one of the most informed and dedicated pHs I have ever hunted with. We hunted bull elephant three cape buffalo and crocodile. We experienced a charge from the elephant after I shot him through the ear into the brain, and Stephen kept his cool and brained him without any hesitation. Every aspect of the Buffalo hunt was perfect and I harvested some extremely good trophies the crocodile hunt was a true African experience for sure as we were on the Zambezi river and we hunted a Maneater and were successful. I would highly recommend this PH and his services to anyone Interested in dangerous game or plains game. Thank you very much, sincerely, Chris Trew. Please feel free to contact me at anytime in the United States at my home. ctrew@integritywell.com

Dann Hunter van den Heever

“I was truly privileged to book and successfully complete a lion hunt from 9-13 August 2019 in the Kalahari, near Severn, with Stephen Bann of SB Hunting Safaris. Stephen conducted said dream hunt as my PH and Outfitter. We had a fantastic lion hunt, creating wonderful memories.

I can unequivocally state that he is a superb PH and Outfitter. He possesses a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience re nature in general as well as in all matters regarding hunting – specifically dangerous game hunting – which is a specialist field all on its own. The fact that he is an ex-game ranger (Sabi Sands Reserve) ads immeasurably to his ability to guide in the field. He has a sound understanding of firearms and general ballistics. He is, furthermore, blessed with a calm and confident disposition, which stems from years of experience in hunting and guiding on the Big 5. This enables him to be a superb guide on Dangerous Game.

Stephen is also an excellent host, always succeeding in making his clients feel at ease. He has a vast amount of hunting information and facts to share, and can regale his clients on many entertaining hunting stories.

He is in the final instance as good as his word, a man of honour and very punctual to boot very rare attributes nowadays indeed.

In view of the above, I can recommend him as PH/Outfitter to anyone without any reservations.”

Jerry Hnetynka

“Once again, I chose to hunt with Stephen Bann because of his track record of hunting trophy animals. His experience and professionalism on hunting dangerous game is second to none. I witnessed this firsthand on my safari last year where we successfully hunted free range Hippo at night, wild river Crocodiles, and Cape Buffalo with a handgun. In addition, over the course of a month and covering the entire country of South Africa, we bagged several pending world record size animals with my handgun. Such a feat requires a great deal of time, patience, preparation, and hunting prowess–traits Stephen exhibited time and again.

On this year’s trip, I again booked nearly a month of time. Having hunted numerous African countries over the previous 40+ years, there wasn’t much I hadn’t done, but Stephen knew how important it was to me to bag a big Leopard. It was the last harvest I needed to complete my Big Five and Dangerous Seven. Lots of outfitters make promises, but Stephen and SB Hunting Safaris delivers. Not only did he get us into an area where pre-baiting was rolling, but Leopard signs were plentiful, and we actually had the opportunity to hunt multiple big Toms. Only two full days into the hunt, I had the trophy of a lifetime and one heckuva a thrill.

Stephen says over and over that he prefers to hunt for quality over quantity and it shows. While we saw incredible numbers of game animals, he keeps us hunting and searching for the oldest, most mature animals while focusing on sustainable game management.

In addition to hunting for record book animals, handgun hunting is also a much more difficult task. It meant more involved scouting and stalking to get into range, oftentimes taking days longer than it would have taken a rifle hunter–and that puts added pressure on a PH. Even when I’m sure it was frustrating, he pushed on and made sure we kept working to get in position for good, clean shots.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I’ve hunted with many PH’s over the years, but Stephen is way underrated. He deserves recognition for his ability as one of the very best South African Professional Hunters.”

Kristin Alberts

“2022 marks my third year of hunting with Stephen Bann and SB Hunting Safaris. Not only is my chosen PH, he and his family have become close friends as well. That’s what happens on a quality hunt. You build lasting relationships along with memories to last a lifetime.

Last year, we hunted together for nearly a month, and this time around would be close to the same. I was welcomed to tag along on a Leopard hunt before my actual hunt began and naturally, I jumped at the chance. I have hunted dangerous game with Stephen many times in the past, so it should come as no surprise that his degree of professionalism and skill is unmatched. I have hunted in many other places in the world and with other PH’s, so I am well aware of the difference.

Stephen has a passion and drive on dangerous game hunts that is difficult to explain unless one has hunted with him, but he puts them in the best areas, sets them up for success, and is incredibly attentive to their safety and enjoyment. It was a thrill for me to share in a successful Leopard hunt. Not only did the client bag a big Tom, but Stephen taught us all a good deal about cat behavior, game management, and tracking wild animals in their own terrain. Hunting is never a guarantee, but Stephen’s hard work swings the odds in the hunter’s favor.”

JJD

“Stephen, I hope that I can put into words the amazing time that I have had hunting with you. Of the “Big Five” I have collected, you have been involved in collecting four of them. Of course the last hunt with you in the Low Veldt, you arranged and guided me in the successful hunt for the Hippo and the Nile Croc which made it “The Dangerous Seven.

One of the pleasures of hunting with you is reflecting back on not only the hunt(s) themselves but the rest of the experience. From the time I stepped off of the plane and walked to the Police Sation to clear my guns until it was time to get back on the plane, I felt that every conceivable effort was made on your part to make the experience that much more memorable. From the first class meals and lodging to transportation and entertainment, every plausible accommodation needed was discussed, planned an delivered.

Hunting in Africa spoils a hunter with all of the variety of animals and the efforts of a Professional Hunter like yourself make it almost impossible to duplicate anywhere else. It is an addiction as when your leaving, your already thinking of your return.”

Cheryle Ikeda

“My husband Greg dreamed of hunting a Cape Buffalo. Our experience with SB Safari was better than anything we could have hoped for. We were impressed with Steven’s knowledge and skill, and I was very thankful for his consideration for Greg’s physical limitations due to his illness.

The bull Greg shot was truly a magnificent animal, but just as valuable are the memories of each moment that led up to making his last dream come true.
We had travelled halfway around the world to hunt with SB Safari and it was worth it! Thank you, Steven!”